NI, SolidWorks Bring Virtual Prototyping to Mechatronics Design

After almost three and a half years of collaboration, SolidWorks and National Instruments are poised to release a
virtual prototyping tool geared for mechatronics applications that seamlessly
integrates SolidWorks 3-D CAD software and the NI LabVIEW graphical system
design environment.

The LabVIEW 2009 NI
SoftMotion Module and capabilities in the forthcoming SolidWorks 2010
release allow mechanical and control engineers to work in tandem on
mechatronics designs by optimizing, validating and visualizing the real-world
performance of machines and motion systems without having to build costly
prototypes. This cross-collaboration between disciplines is important because
every decision has a ripple effect in a mechatronics design. For example, if a
team decides to change the material and, therefore the weight of a mechanical
component, there are ramifications on motor sizing or even the type of motor
required to sufficiently operate the machine. Traditionally, the two
engineering disciplines worked separately on their respective systems, and only
became aware of design flaws or potential problem areas late in the design
process when time and money was already devoted to building and testing a
physical prototype.

"Improving team communication and collaboration between
mechanical engineers, electrical engineers and control engineers is crucial,"
says Christian Fritz, mechatronics and motion control manager at National
Instruments (NI). "Tools that offer seamless integration and help them share
data throughout all phases of the development cycle will enable vivid
collaboration and exchange of information."

Creating seamless integration between the two tools shortens
the iterative design process and enables control engineers to begin working on
control applications as soon as the CAD model has been created. By leveraging
the new integration capabilities, existing SolidWorks CAD models can be
connected to LabVIEW, which automatically links the motor actuators and position
sensors defined in the model. Using the functions delivered in NI SoftMotion
for SolidWorks, engineers can then develop sophisticated motion control
applications and use the virtual prototype to visualize realistic machine
behavior, analyze cycle time performance and perform accurate force/torque
requirements analysis. As a result, engineering teams can optimize designs
prior to building a physical prototype, identify design issues that potentially
cross mechanical and electrical boundaries and properly size motors and
mechanical parts.

"At the end of the day, this makes a serial process
parallel," says Fielder Hess, vice president of product management for
SolidWorks. "It's getting rid of the `throw it over the wall' mentality and
allows the disciplines to communicate earlier."

Streamlining the iterative nature of mechanical and motion
control design has the potential for huge time savings benefits, according to
Kent Wedeking, LabVIEW/mechanical engineer for Fastek International Ltd., which offers
test and measurement services for control systems. Currently, Wedeking says his
team creates their motion control code in LabVIEW, builds their prototype in
SolidWorks and puts them together in a lab and hope that it all works.
Debugging the system is done strictly with physical components. "If something
goes wrong - a motor doesn't shut off or there's interference, we find that out
when pieces actually start banging into each other," he says. "If we get to the
point where we're redesigning parts, we have to have things re-machined, which
adds time and cost and makes it more difficult to meet deadlines."

To create the integration, NI and SolidWorks invested time
and R&D dollars in ensuring that control engineers can create their custom
motion control applications using the LabVIEW graphical programming paradigm
they already know, Fritz says. In addition, mechanical engineers don't have to
leave the familiar SolidWorks' environment to make a 3-D model simulation ready
to test out the control system.

Fritz says the request for the seamless integration came
directly from customers and while there is no exclusive arrangement, NI
currently has no plans to develop similar capabilities for other 3-D CAD
systems.

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